‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas

treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate

1
  Warmer

a. Discuss the questions.

1. Have you swum in the ocean? Did you see any marine animals?

2. Who do the world’s oceans belong to?

3. Why are they important for life on our planet?

4. What are the biggest threats to marine life?

5. How do you think ocean life should be protected?

2
  Key words

a. Find a word in the article to match each definition. The paragraph number has been given to
help you. Then use the word in the example sentence. You may need to change the form of
the word.

1. To is to make sure that a law or rule is obeyed by people. (paragraph 1)

There are laws in place, but they don’t have a team to police the area and
them.

2. If something is , it is likely to be harmed or destroyed. (paragraph 2)

A study found that noise pollution whales and dolphins.

3. The is the parts of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere where plant and
animal life can exist. (paragraph 3)
The roots of trees, the ocean floor, and mountain tops are all part of the Earth’s
.

4. A is an ocean, forest or other area of vegetation (plants and trees) that

helps to protect the environment by taking in large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
(paragraph 3)
Forests are great because they absorb more carbon than they release.

5. If something is , it is very important or difficult to deal with because a

small mistake could make very bad things happen. (paragraph 5)
A habitat is an area that is essential for endangered species to survive.
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 ‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas
treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate
6. is the ability that animals and plants have to change and make

themselves especially suitable for living in a particular environment. (paragraph 7)

Wildlife crossings along roads can help animals with climate .

7. To is to get or achieve something important. (paragraph 8)

They’re still trying to a venue for the next international event.

8. is the management of land and water in ways that prevent it from being

damaged or destroyed. (paragraph 10)

She works in wildlife ; she is helping to protect the rhino.

9. is dealing with a difficult situation. (paragraph 10)

It is time to pollution and try to reduce the use of plastics.

10. A is a way of solving a problem or ending an argument in which both

people or groups accept that they cannot have everything they want. (paragraph 12)

He realized that if he wanted them to stop arguing, he would need to make a

and agree to their terms.

11. are special areas where animals live in a natural environment protected

from people. (paragraph 14)

One summer, I volunteered at a bird , and I took care of a baby owl.

12. To is to come together in a group. (paragraph 15)

Hundreds of birds in the tree on the hill at sunset.

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 ‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas
treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate
Karen McVeigh
28 February, 2023
1 Almost two-thirds of the world’s ocean lies
outside national boundaries. These are the
“high seas”, where loosely enforced rules have
meant a vast portion of the planet, hundreds of
miles from land, is often lawless.
2 Because of this, the high seas are more easily
exploited than coastal seas. Currently, all
countries can navigate, fish (or overfish) and do
scientific research on the high seas as much
as they want. Only 1.2% of it is protected, and
the increasing reach of fishing and shipping
vessels, the threat of deep-sea mining, and
“bioprospecting” of marine species, mean they
are being threatened like never before.
3 Yet, not only does a healthy ocean provide half
of the oxygen we breathe, it represents 95% of
the planet’s biosphere, soaks up carbon dioxide
and is Earth’s largest carbon sink.
4 Members from 193 member states began
talks at the UN headquarters in New York to
conclude negotiations for what scientists have
described as a “once in a lifetime” chance to
protect the high seas.
5 The talks are critical to enforcing the 30x30
pledge from the UN Biodiversity Conference in
December, 2022: a promise to protect 30% of
the ocean (as well as 30% of the land) by 2030.
Without a high seas treaty to protect marine
areas, scientists and environmentalists agree
the 30x30 pledge will fail.
6 “Every second breath being taken comes from
the ocean generating oxygen,” said Liz Karan,
who leads high seas protection work at the
Pew Charitable Trusts. “A healthy ocean is
critical for having life on the planet – including
human life.”
7 Karan and others are hopeful that countries
will finalize a legal framework to establish a
network of high sea marine protected areas
(MPAs) “for adaptation and resilience” for
species in a changing climate.
8 The conference president, Rena Lee, said that
there were two sticking points: how to establish
and maintain MPAs in areas that aren’t
governed by any individual country, and how to
secure fair access to marine resources for all.
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9 “There is tension between countries that have
those resources and countries that don’t,”
said Karan. “There are some countries – like
big, distant-water fishing countries [nations
that send fleets of fishing vessels across the
globe] – that are protecting their interests.”
10 “What the science shows”, Karan added, “is
that we need to put conservation first if we
are going to protect fisheries resources for
future generations.” That means immediately
confronting overfishing and illegal fishing, which
together are the biggest driver of environmental
decline in the ocean.
11 “Industrial fishers try to exploit and profit
from ocean resources that, by law, belong to
everyone,” said Jessica Battle, a senior global
oceans expert for WWF who is leading the
NGO’s team at the negotiations.
12 Greenpeace warned the treaty was in danger
as countries in the global north, including
China, refused to compromise. The global north
must seek compromises instead of arguing
over minor points, it said.
13 Among the high seas biodiversity hotspots
that would benefit from being sanctuaries is
the Costa Rica Dome – nutrient-rich waters
that attract yellowfin tuna, migratory dolphins,
endangered blue whales, and leatherback sea
turtles. There is also the Emperor Seamount
chain west of the Hawaiian islands towards
Russia.
14 “There are corridors of the sea where whales
aggregate every year,” said Doug McCauley,
an associate professor of ocean science at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, who
contributed to a paper highlighting 10 such
proposed sanctuaries.
15 “There’s a real opportunity to make history with
this treaty,” he said. “It is arguably one of the
most important international negotiations that
no one has ever heard of.”
Glossary
bioprospecting: the practice of exploring
nature to find commercially useful products
© Guardian News and Media 2023
First published in The Guardian, 28/02/2023
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 ‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas
treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate

3
  Comprehension check

a. Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the article? Correct any that are false.

1. Since there is no one to enforce the law, people can do what they want on the high seas.

2. The ocean is the planet’s largest carbon sink and provides all the oxygen for every breath
we take.

3. The 30x30 pledge promises to protect 30% of the Earth’s surface that is covered in water by 2030.

4. The aim of MPAs is to create safe spaces to help boost ecotourism.

5. It is difficult for countries to agree about how MPAs should be established in places not governed
by individual countries.

6. Karan thinks that sharing resources should be a priority.

7. Overfishing and deep-sea mining combined are the biggest cause of environmental decline in
the ocean.

8. Greenpeace urges countries that don’t have resources to compromise.

9. The Costa Rica Dome is one of ten proposed sanctuaries for marine life.

10. Doug McCauley thinks that the high seas treaty could be something that will be remembered by
generations to come.

4
  Key language

a. Match the words to the meaning of the prefix or suffix in bold.

1. lawless a. relating to living things or someone’s life: used with some nouns
and adjectives

2. dioxide b. not or no: used with some adjectives and nouns that begin with ‘l’ to give
the opposite meaning

3. overfishing c. two or twice: used with some adjectives and nouns

4. illegal d. too much: used with many verbs, nouns and adjectives

5. biodiversity e. between: used with some nouns, verbs and adjectives

6. international f. without: used with many nouns

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 ‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas
treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate
b. Discuss the questions.

1. What is the most important international treaty?

2. What do you know about biodiversity in different eco systems (forests, lakes, oceans,
grasslands)?

3. Is it illegal to hunt or fish where you live?

4. Do you think we should be worried about overfishing?

5. Apart from the oceans, what else absorbs carbon dioxide?

5
  Discussion

a. Discuss these statements.

• “Fishing on the high seas should be illegal.”

• “Bioprospecting should be allowed everywhere because we might find species or substances that
can be turned into products that can benefit everyone.”

• “The UN’s 30x30 pledge is a good start, but it’s not enough. More needs to be done to protect the
natural world.”

6 In your own words

  

a. Research the life, habits, and habitat of an endangered marine animal. Find out what threatens
this animal the most.

b. You are going to write a letter to humans from the animal’s perspective, telling them to protect
the oceans and your species. Use the information to plan and write your letter.

• Introduction: introduce yourself and connect with the reader, say why you are writing

• Reasons: back up your plea with reasons and facts

• Solution: offer a solution

• Closing: call to action using a strong emotional statement to end

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 ‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas
treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate – Teacher’s notes
Article summary: The article describes how
almost 200 countries are trying to agree on
a treaty to protect the high seas, which is
threatened by overfishing and lies outside
national boundaries.
Time: 90 minutes
Skills: Reading, Speaking, Writing
Language focus: Vocabulary (affixes)
Materials needed: One copy of the
worksheet per student
As an extension, you can focus on collocations with
these words. Ask students to find some in the text or
add their own. These should be quite useful for the final
writing activity. Some examples are:
enforce rules / laws
species are threatened
critical talks / moment / step
areas for adaptation
secure access
nature / marine / wildlife conservation
confront overfishing / pollution / problems
seek compromises / make a compromise
marine / wildlife sanctuary
whales aggregate

3. Comprehension check
1. Warmer
a. Ask students to complete the task in pairs and
a. The purpose of this activity is to introduce the topic then compare their answers in small groups before
of marine life and conservation and to get students checking with the whole class. Encourage students
engaged in the topic. You can note down B1–B2 to first read the sentences, circling key words, and
examples of emergent language related to the theme then to find the missing information in the text.
on the board.
Answers provided are only suggested answers and
2. Key words can be paraphrased.

a. Ask students to do the exercise individually, and then Key:

compare their answers in pairs or small groups. 1. True
2. False. It provides the oxygen of every
Key: second breath.
a. 3. False. The pledge promises to protect 30% of
1. enforce land and water.
2. threatened, threatens 4. False. The aim of MPAs is to protect marine life.
3. biosphere 5. True
4. carbon sink, carbon sinks 6. False. Conservation needs to be the priority.
5. critical 7. False. Illegal fishing and overfishing are the
6. Adaptation, adaptation biggest cause.
7. secure 8. False. They urge the global north to
8. Conservation, conservation compromise.
9. Confronting, confront 9. True
10. compromise 10. True
11. Sanctuaries, sanctuary
12. aggregate
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 ‘The most important talks no one has heard of’: why the high seas
treaty matters
Level 2: Intermediate – Teacher’s notes
4. Key language

a. Ask students to complete this activity in pairs

or small groups. Encourage them to look at the
context in which these words are found to infer
their meanings.

Key:
1. f 4. b
2. c 5. a
3. d 6. e

b. Ask students to work in small groups and discuss the

questions. Add more useful language as it emerges
on the board and address any recurring errors.

5. Discussion

a. Allow students time to note down their ideas about

each statement and encourage them to say why they
agree or disagree with each one. Then put them into
small groups and ask them to share their ideas.

6. In your own words

a. Ask students to research the animal that they have

chosen. Students can do this individually or in pairs.
If students do not have internet access in class,
resources about marine animals will need to be
provided. Some good points to cover would be:

• animal population
• the animal’s habitat and food
• animal lifestyle (Do they live in families?)
• the biggest threat to the animal’s survival

b. Elicit ideas on what the animal would like to say

to humans. Then examine how to best structure a
persuasive letter. Draw students’ attention to the
sections in the table. You can elicit examples or
phrases students might use for each section from
the whole class.

Encourage students to plan their letters in pairs and

then to complete writing individually. Have students
peer-edit before submitting their letters to you.
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